Crater of the Dead
by TRikiD
Summary: After he and his friends are kicked out of the crater, Ty suffers from a serious injury and becomes infected with a virus that turns him into an unstoppable and undead monster.
1. Chapter 1 - Marooned

Crater of the Dead

Chapter 1 - Marooned

It was all over. They had fallen off of the bridge, and they felt like they weighed tons as they plummeted into a misty chasm of nothingness. But they soon discovered that there was an end, and they came crashing down into a raging river that showed no mercy.

Each of them were thrown and battered against fast currents and sharp rocks, and none of them suffered more damage than Ty. With him being the biggest Trux, he was a much bigger target that sank deeper than the others. He was losing air, his vision was becoming hazy, and he could just barely make out a large rock with a sharp point as he was pushed closer and closer until…

His head collided with the sharp point, as it dug into his skull and created a large crack in his chassis and his right eye. Partial vision quickly became the least of Ty's problems, though, as he felt his conscious slip and the water around him darkened with his own oil and blood.

Ty's good eye rolled back as his mind faded away, and he could do nothing as he went still and was carried away by the current.

* * *

Ty felt something uncomfortable and gritty underneath him, as he was being dragged out of the water. His ears rang loudly, and the vision in his right eye was completely useless now.

"Ty…Ty, get up!" a voice shouted when the ringing started to subside, and it sounded like Skya. Ty wanted to respond, but his entire body was racked with intense pain, especially his head. All he could do was listen to the frightened voices of his friends.

"What's wrong with him, Rev-Dude?!"

"I am not entirely sure, Ton-Ton. He has a sizeable fracture on his skull, and it could get infected if it is not treated soon."

"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's fix him and figure out a way back home already!"

"But we don't have the parts ta treat him."

"Ace is right. All we can do now is make sure he stays hydrated and let him rest."

The others reluctantly took Revvit's advice, as they stared down at Ty in silent fear. They had no idea what happened to him before they were marooned, but whatever had happened left their friend and leader lying in a motionless heap of raspy breathing.

* * *

Ty stirred when a sharp pain entered his torso, specifically his stomach. His internal organs growled intensely when he tried to lift his head from the sand; his vision and hearing were much clearer, and he could hear the faint sound of soft waves hitting the shore—but that was it.

There were no other engines, no scuffles or battle cries, and no other voices. Ty slowly looked around, and found that he was completely alone and that night had fallen. He might have marveled at how the moonlight sparkled on the sand, but the pain in his stomach quickly reminded him of its presence with another gurgle.

Ty arched his back in an attempt to ease the pain, but to no avail; he started breathing heavily when he felt like his insides would soon be spilled against his own will, and his vision started to get fuzzy again. His pupil started to enlarge until it nearly blackened his entire good eye, and what was left of his vision was now nothing but a blanket of red.

But amidst the red colors were the occasional blue, green and white colors, and they all showed him the one thing he craved: Food. And Ty's prayers were answered when three large masses suddenly burst out from a nearby cave, followed by a group of much smaller beings. His instincts told him to go after the smaller creatures first, and he could do nothing to fight his hunger.

Meanwhile, the other Trux and the Reptools had barely managed to escape a pack of Scraptors after venturing into a cave in hopes of finding a way back home. Even if it was a chance for them to go back to the crater, there was no way they were going back in with the Scraptors flooding out and blocking their way.

"Try keeping your mouth shut the next ya think about jinxing us, Dozer!" Skya snapped at the said Dozeratops.

"How about I shut _your_ mouth?!" Dozer shouted back.

"Now is not the time to be fighting each other! We must fight the real enemy here!" Revvit scolded in annoyance.

But just when the Trux were about to lunge at the Scraptors, a ferocious roar echoed throughout the air and shook everyone's chassis. They thought that they recognized the roar, but Ty had never made such a powerful noise before. Sure enough, it was none other than the red T-Trux himself, as he came barreling towards the Scraptors at top speed.

And as Ty sped past the others, Revvit caught a quick glimpse of the enlarged pupil in Ty's left eye when the latter turned towards them for a mere second. And as soon as they saw Ty, the Scraptors shrieked in terror and retreated back into the cave, but Ty kept pursuing them.

"What's he doin'?! He can't take them all on at once!" Ton-Ton exclaimed in fear.

"Then let's not wait around and let him hog all the fun! C'mon!" Skya demanded before going back into the cave, and the others were following close behind.

As they went back into the cave, they heard Ty's grunts and roars echo off of the cave walls, along with the frequent cries of agony from the Scraptors. They realized that whatever Ty was doing to defeat them, it must be working. They didn't want to wait to find out what it was, though, so they sped up and followed the echoes.

Eventually, they came into a chamber that was full of countless tunnels that branched off in many different directions, but they could hear Ty's engine revving close by. And it was a good thing that they couldn't find Ty at first because the maze kept them from seeing a horrific sight; while Ty was still in his enraged and hungry state, he had caught an unlucky Scraptor.

He held the limp body of the scavenger in his jaws, as the upper half was already sliding down his gullet. Ty tilted his head back to swallow the rest of the Scraptor, and it finally disappeared down his throat just before the others rounded a corner and found him.

"Ty! Thank goodness you are ok!" Revvit cheered at the sight of his best friend.

The red T-Trux tensed up when he heard his best friend's voice, and his pupil suddenly started to shrink back to its normal size. Ty breathed heavily while shaking his head, and then finally turned towards the others.

"Rev…guys…you're all ok?" Ty spoke, his voice meek and raspy.

"Thanks ta you, we are," Dozer answered.

"Yeah, I've never seen anyone take on a pack of Scraptors on their own like that—well, we didn't actually see it, but you obviously did it," Ton-Ton rambled on in amazement.

"Wait…what did I do?" Ty asked in shock.

"What do ya mean, what did you do?" Skya repeated with a chuckle, "Have ya got short-term memory loss or something? You just took down a bunch of Scraptors_ by yourself_. That's pretty badass."

Ty's eyes widened in horror. From what little memories he could recall of his "episode," he couldn't remember killing any Scraptors. And if what his friends are saying is true, then he must have done something horrible and unbelievable to have beaten them on his own. And until he found out just what he did, he wasn't going to let his friends find out.

"R-Right…I was just doing what I could to protect you guys," Ty lied.

"And you did it well. But perhaps you should rest now. If you continue to irritate that fracture on your head, it will become too infected to repair," Revvit regretfully informed, and jumped up onto Ty's head to prove his point. The Reptool then gently prodded the wound, to which Ty instantly winced and hissed in pain.

"Huh…hadn't noticed that was there," Ty seethed through clenched teeth.

"But now that we've taken care of our Scraptor problem, how're we gonna solve our gettin'-back-home problem?" Dozer cut in.

"Climbin' the cliffs and goin' through this cave didn't work, so I'd say it's back over the ocean we go," Ace replied firmly.

"And I think that is quite possible. If we were to build some sort of floatation device that is strong enough to withstand all of our combined weight-."

There was an awkward pause when Revvit suddenly stopped mid-explanation to let Ty finish his sentence like the two always did for each other. But this time, Ty seemed to be spacing out too much to notice.

"Hello? Earth ta Ty?" Skya sang before banging her hook against Ty's head to get his attention, which effortlessly worked.

"Huh?! What?! …Oh, sorry…my stomach just…really hurts right now…I can't stop thinkin' about food," Ty explained nervously, much to Revvit's confusion and curiosity. The said Reptool squinted while looking into Ty's good eye, and noticed that his pupil was starting to enlarge again, but not by much.

If enlarged pupils were any indication, then Ty's condition could only be getting worse. They had to get off of this island, and fast.

"Alright, Trux! I will be taking Ty's place so that he may rest, so let's Trux it up!" Revvit proudly announced, and everyone immediately went to work on gathering supplies for a raft.

But before Skya drove off, Revvit jumped up onto her and climbed up her neck.

"Could I ask a favor of you, Skya?" Revvit questioned.

"Sure. What's up?" Skya happily replied.

"I am worried about Ty—he is acting a little strange. Do you think you could keep a close eye on him, and inform me immediately if you notice anything else that is off?"

"Ok, but I don't see what the problem is. He's just a little disoriented from the fall, and that huge crack in his noggin. I'm sure he'll be fine, Rev."

Revvit wanted to believe Skya, but something about Ty still rubbed him the wrong way. And the image of the hunger and rage in Ty's eyes when he was chasing the Scraptors haunted Revvit's mind.

* * *

**Ooh, I'm already getting chills, and I just started writing this. Trust me, if you're into suspense and lots of violence, I bet you'll love this.**

**Also, if you go check out the link to my DeviantArt gallery on my profile, you can find my drawing of Zombie Ty.**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	2. Chapter 2 - A Threat

Chapter 2 - A Threat

After the raft was built, Ty and others wasted no time in pushing it into the water and started climbing on. But given his fatigue, Ty was last to board the boat. Revvit stayed behind with Ty to make sure he got on, but he also had an aching question at the back of his mind that he wanted to ask the T-Trux.

"Do you need any help?" Revvit asked gently.

"No…no, I'll be fine…I'm just tired," Ty denied between huffs.

Revvit's bits spun, as he thought about his important question, "Um, Ty—what exactly did you do to scare off those Scraptors?"

"I just…chased 'em…"

"No, that cannot be it. They fled as soon as they saw you, almost as if they wanted nothing to do with you."

Ty chuckled meekly, "I guess my reputation…precedes me…"

Revvit still couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong, but he didn't have time to delve deeper into the subject once they were on the raft. After it set sail, everyone had to worry about finding food and avoiding strange monsters in the water that tried to sink them.

Ty continued to show more strange signs like he had on the island, including heavy and raspy breathing, delirious muttering, and staring intensely at the other Trux for long periods of time. Revvit paid the most attention to these actions, and assumed that it could be from the pain of his wound getting worse.

But after nearly getting sunk by monstrous creatures in the water and finally spotting land, the Trux were ecstatic to get their treads back on solid ground and make their way back to the crater. Ty especially couldn't wait because his senses immediately started acting up once they got on land; it's like he could smell any and all sustenance from miles away—but it wasn't ore that he smelled.

"I can't wait ta get home! Don't know about you dudes, but I could use a trip through the Trux wash," Ton-Ton stated out of the blue, which pulled Ty from his hungry thoughts.

"We _all_ could," Skya added.

Ton-Ton tilted his head, "At once? I don't think we're all gonna fit—but hey! What's stoppin' us from tryin'?"

"Me. That sounds horrible," Dozer growled while shaking his head.

"I suspect we may have other things to worry about," Revvit pointed out.

"Like what D-Structs was up to while we were gone," Ty stated matter-of-factly, and his eyes widened when they rounded a corner, "_That_, for example."

Razor-sharp spikes were erected on both sides of the bridge into the crater, and two of D-Structs' Scraptools were patrolling on the other side.

"Guess D-Structs made a few changes," Ty growled.

"Then let's _un_-make them," Skya huffed.

"Right beside ya," Dozer added angrily, and even lowered his blade. But Ty stopped everyone in their tracks before they could drive off.

"Hang on, hang on! D-Structs doesn't know we're back yet."

"Imagine his surprise when _I_ knock on his door," Skya chuckled darkly.

Ty shook his head, "No knocking. Not yet."

"These spikes may be the first of many traps D-Structs has laid within the crater," Revvit informed.

"That dude _does_ love traps," Ton-Ton agreed.

"So, until we figure out what's up, we lay low," Ty instructed firmly.

"And exercise caution," Revvit added.

"My favorite exercise!" Click-Clack stated with excitement.

"I'm all for layin' low. When the bad Trux ride, the smart tools hide," Waldo said with a nod.

With that, Revvit and Click-Clack drilled holes into a nearby rock to create another sound rock to amplify and/or throw voices. Ty then lowered his voice to imitate D-Structs, and instructed the Scraptools on the other side of the bridge to leave. They actually believed that it was D-Structs talking to them, so they both wasted no time in racing to see what he wanted.

Once the Scraptools were gone, Revvit effortlessly lowered the spikes to allow the others to cross the bridge. They eventually spotted Magnet Mountain and Min-Mountain in the distance, and it took some convincing to make sure Ton-Ton didn't go ramping off of either of them.

But they soon came across a group of Slamtools, and quickly went into hiding in the nick of time. They had hoped that the Slamtools hadn't tied down some helpless Trux and left them to die, but they ventured further out and found just that: Two Ankylodumps tied down to the ground with strong vines and nails.

"Dude, tying down Dumps? So not cool," Ton-Ton growled in aggravation.

"You guys ok?" Ty asked gently, as he tried to ignore the gruesome thoughts in his head; for some reason, seeing the two helpless Ankylodumps spiked his hunger even more, but he shook his head in an attempt to ignore it.

"Whoa! Ty, you're back," one of the Ankylodumps breathed in awe.

"We thought you were done for," the other informed, as the Reptools started freeing them.

"Spikes on the bridge? Slamtools? Place has become a real dump," Dozer huffed in annoyance, but then looked at the Ankylodumps apologetically, "Oh, no offense!"

"None taken," an Ankylodump reassured, "I heard this crater was supposed ta be a safer place ta live."

"But it's worse," the other Ankylodump added.

"_Way_ worse. Everybody around has gone inta hiding."

"Definitely not what we had in mind when we moved here."

"Don't worry, guys. I got us inta this mess, so I'm gonna get us out," Ty stated firmly.

"How?"

Ty glanced down sheepishly, "Uh…workin' on it. And, guys—you _didn't_ see us."

The Ankylodumps nodded in confirmation before leaving, which left the others alone to start forming a plan. They decided to try and ambush D-Structs by sneaking up to his lair, but a group of Desert Scraptors was already waiting for them there.

The Trux effortlessly managed to take out the Scraptors like they always do, and trapped them all in D-Structs' lair by slamming the metal door down.

"D-Structs picked up some lame new roommates," Skya stated between huffs.

"I do not think D-Structs is living there anymore, Skya," Revvit informed.

"Then where _is_ he living?" Dozer urged.

* * *

None of them wanted to believe it, but they wanted to be extra sure that D-Structs and his gang hadn't taken the Flatirons. But as soon as they arrived, a huge wall was standing all around the edge of the Flatirons, complete with searchlights skimming the area from atop.

They were all quite angered by this because they built a wall around all of the builds that worked so hard on, and Skya even said that some of them were being destroyed. And when she said that D-Structs seemed to have made himself at home in Ty's cave, the latter instantly became the most infuriated.

Ty was always trying to find the good side of everyone, and that sometimes included D-Structs. But this caused Ty's anger to boil all the way to the top of his head—and the pit of his stomach.

Another growl from Ty's stomach made itself, causing him to grunt in pain and arch his back. He didn't know why, but thoughts of devouring his friends and generally anyone that came too close flooded his mind. Ty growled and quickly backed away, much to everyone's surprise.

Everyone stared at Ty in confusion and concern, as he backed himself up against a rock, even attempting to get the thoughts out of his head by banging it against the hard surface.

"Ty, what's wrong?!" Revvit shouted over the banging.

"I can't…stop…need…ugh…" Ty grunted between each bang, as a deep and guttural growl emitted from his throat. Revvit crept closer to Ty for a better examination, and quickly noticed that the pupil in his good eye was dilating again.

Revvit quickly jumped up onto the T-Trux, and climbed up to his head to inspect his wound. And it was just as he feared: Not only was rust starting to form on the edges of the gash, but the internal metal was turning a sickening purple and black color with white pus oozing out.

"Oh, no…" Revvit whimpered in terror, but matters quickly became worse when one of the Scraptools on the wall heard Ty's head banging. It wasn't long before the Scraptool sounded an alarm, and the gate opened as Pounder and some Slamtools rushed out to find the intruder.

"Ty, snap out of it!" Dozer whisper-shouted while ramming into the said T-Trux with his blade lowered, and it seemed to have brought him back to reality.

"Huh?! What happened?!" Ty gasped.

"You just got us caught, that's what! Now, move!" Skya hissed as she and the others raced off, and Ty followed them close behind him. He couldn't figure out what came over him, and he shook his head to ignore the newfound pain in his head.

The Trux rushed to get away from Pounder and the Slamtools, but eventually got cornered in a small cavern.

"Could use an elevator about now," Ty panted between panicky breaths. But as if by a miracle, the familiar sound of a flatulent horn could be heard nearby.

"How about a Garby?" Revvit suggested jokingly, and they watched quietly as the said Stegarbasaur came rushing up to Pounder and the Slamtools, and with George in tow.

Garby and George easily distracted them, which allowed Ty and the others to escape. And once George and Garby managed to escape as well, they caught up with the others and were amazed to see them again.

"Great granite! I knew that was you, Ty!" Garby laughed heartily.

"Welcome back, travelers," George added calmly.

"So, what's the plan? There, uh—there _is_ a plan, right?" Garby questioned.

"Get D-Structs and his crew out of the crater," Ty snarled in response.

Garby and George then took the Trux and Reptools to an area near the Reptool Ravine that hadn't been discovered by D-Structs and his cronies, and they discovered that the Ottos were planning on using the Scaretrux against D-Structs. But they had yet to come up with a plan themselves.

Ty then instructed Garby to tell them everything he knew about the wall, and they realized that they had their work cut out for them. But Ty was determined to get through that wall and take down D-Structs—if it was the last thing he did.

After learning that the wall was fortified from the inside, Ty stated that they would have to take it down from the inside. So, the Reptools traveled to the safe haven to fetch the Tortools, and they agreed to help by painting Ty pitch black for their plan.

"I am not sure that this is wise, Ty. Your injury is getting worse much faster than I thought it would," Revvit told his best friend after the plan was laid out.

"I know, but I'm just gonna have ta ignore it for now. If I only worry about myself, we're not gonna be able ta help everyone else in the crater," Ty argued.

"But you will not be able to help _anyone_ if you do not help yourself first."

"Please, Rev, I don't wanna argue about this with you. Let's just get this over with, and then I promise, I'll rest as much as you tell me to."

Revvit shook his head in dismay, wishing that Ty would just listen to him. He feared that if he didn't take it easy, he would drop dead. And if that happened, they would be useless without Ty; he was their strongest and bravest fighter. Losing him would be like losing all hope.

* * *

After darkness fell, Ty waited to move in towards the gate after Pounder and Splitter took Garby prisoner. He quickly followed them in, but was stopped by the spikes on the other side of the gate. Garby then ejected a cube of compacted rocks, and Revvit burst out and rushed to get the spikes down, allowing Ty to get past and get to a better hiding place.

Ty waited for Ace and Waldo to get onto the wall with Skya's help, and then signaled them with a few flashes of his high beams. The two Reptools then flashed their own lights, to which Ton-Ton flung a rock many yards away to create a distraction for the Scraptools.

Once the Scraptools left to check out the noise, Ace and Waldo climbed down to move the holders on the stone bar that kept the gate shut. Once the holders were down, Ty rushed back to the gate to start pushing it out of the way. But it all went awry when one of the Scraptools was suddenly pushed from atop the wall, and he immediately sounded an alarm when he spotted Ty.

The Scraptools tried to push the holders back in place to stop Ty from removing the stone bar, but he proved too strong and broke the holders. Ty raised his head and shouted for Dozer to come ram the gate, but Pounder and Splitter instantly pushed the gate closed to prevent him and the others from entering.

Blayde then sped out to help keep the gate closed, and Ty realized it was time to fight, so he bite down hard on Blayde's frill to remove her. It wasn't until he heard a loud crack and threw Blayde across the yard that he realized he bit hard enough to fracture one of her frills.

Blayde cried out when she landed, and she breathed heavily as she skid across the dirt. Pounder took this as a sign to attack, and didn't hesitate to bash his hammer snout against Ty's head.

The red T-Trux roared in agony, as the bolt that held the left side of his jaw in place was shattered, and a deep crack cut itself across the left side of his nose. His jaw was now slack, his nose burned, and he could feel his engine rev with pure rage.

"Ty, are you ok?!" Revvit exclaimed in terror while holding onto his best friend in the heat of the battle.

But Ty didn't respond with words, and instead answered with another deep growl as his good eye darkened from his dilating pupil. Once Ty fully lost himself, he bit down on Pounder's neck and proved to be strong enough to throw him just like he had with Blayde, despite his broken jaw.

All while this was happening, D-Structs emerged from the cave, and his engine stopped at the sight before him. He watched as Ty showed never-before-seen bursts of strength and anger, and he knew that anger all too well. D-Structs only found Ty an utter nuisance before, but he was now a potential threat to everyone in the crater.

D-Structs roared and attempted to ram into Ty, but Garby stopped him by launching his back plates at him. The sight of the Stegarbasaur seemed to have gotten through to Ty, for it made him calm down enough to realize that it was time to leave. He and Garby quickly fled when Dozer finally rammed the gate open, and they all hastily ran off before D-Structs and his cronies could chase after them.

"Make no mistake, Ty! You can run, but you can't hide! I will find you!" D-Structs roared at the top of his lungs.

"So, let's not give 'em a chance ta hide!" Splitter snarled.

"Yeah, he destroyed my frill! I'm gonna tear him apart!" Blayde hissed while lowering what was left of her blade.

"No. We're not going to pursue them—not now," D-Structs instructed with a growl.

"Are you crazy?! Why would you let them get away?!" Splitter snapped in annoyance.

"Ty's injured. _Now_ is the time to attack," Blayde added impatiently.

D-Structs snarled, "You're injured, too. Did you fail to notice that Ty was capable of inflicting even more collateral damage all on his own? If this isn't dealt with carefully, we'll _all_ be done for."

Pounder suddenly approached and let out a meek chitter, and they all noticed the large bite mark on the back of his neck. Blayde and Splitter couldn't care less about his injury, but D-Structs knew that this was a sure-fire sign of one thing: As long as Ty lived, the entire crater was in grave danger.

* * *

**Ty's condition seems to be getting worse. How much longer do you think he'll last until he snaps?**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Poisoning the Crater

Chapter 3 - Poisoning the Crater

After once again getting defeated by D-Structs and his crew, Ty and the others retreated to recollect themselves and form a new plan. But that was easier said than done with Ty's new injuries, and the Reptools had to find a new bolt to fix his jaw.

Unfortunately the only bolt they could find was barely the right size, so Ty's jaw was still slightly ajar and aching profoundly. The others watched as Ty grunted in pain while getting repaired, and they couldn't help but imagine some of the pain themselves.

"I am worried that he will not be able to go on much longer. If he does not rest soon, his engine may give out for good," Revvit told the others quietly.

"What the hell's even wrong with him? I mean, is that crack on his head really causing _all_ of that pain?" Dozer asked in disbelief.

Revvit nodded, "All of it and more, I'm afraid."

"So, what do we do now?" Ton-Ton cut in.

"We will have to fight D-Structs without Ty."

"And how're we gonna do that?" Ace inquired, to which Revvit's bits spun in deep thought.

"We need…more…Trux," Ty piped up meekly.

"Do not speak, Ty. You need to conserve your energy," Revvit instructed firmly.

"But he's onta something. Garby said that everyone in the crater went into hiding. If we could get them to come out, we might stand a chance," Skya explained with high hopes.

"But how're we gonna get ta everyone without gettin' spotted?" Waldo asked.

Skya hummed and looked around, and it wasn't long until she spotted the Scaretrux in the distance.

"If D-Structs wants Ty, then that's what we'll give him," Skya replied with a grin.

* * *

D-Structs paced back and forth, as he tried to contain his fear. After he noticed Ty's dilated pupils and his injuries, D-Structs realized what was really wrong with him; he had experienced this type of thing before, after all. And from what D-Structs learned, he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

"D-Structs! D-Structs!" Skrap-It called from outside, and D-Structs rushed out of the cave.

"Did you find them?" D-Structs asked impatiently.

"Ty? Or the other Trux?" Skrap-It inquired.

"Any of them!"

"Well, I didn't find Ty, but…"

"You found the others?!"

"No, nobody. Total bust."

D-Structs growled intensely at the Scraptools' incompetence, realizing that time was of the essence.

"I-It's an awfully big crater," Skrap-It nervously pointed out while backing away, "A-And it's not like he's just gonna come out and say-."

"D-Structs!"

Both D-Structs and Skrap-It raised their heads when they instantly recognized the voice.

"Found him!" Skrap-It shouted as he and the other followed D-Structs through the gate. It didn't take them long to spot Ty standing a few yards away.

"You want me? Here I am!" Ty called tauntingly before disappearing.

"He's mine!" Blayde shouted before following him.

"Not if I get him first!" Splitter hissed before racing off, and Pounder growled threateningly before chasing after Ty as well.

"What are you idiots doing?! He's luring you into a-!" D-Structs tried to warn the others, but they were already long gone.

"I don't get it. There's no way Ty's gonna get away now, so why're you so worried?" Skrap-It asked his master with great confusion.

"They have no idea what Ty is capable of, not in his current state," D-Structs growled in reply.

"And what state is that, exactly?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it—once and for all."

With that, the ebony T-Trux raced off to find Ty himself, knowing that he and his friends have probably come up with some elaborate plan to separate his minions. He knew that if he wanted something done correctly, he would have to do it himself.

D-Structs followed some familiar tracks into a jungle, and he stayed quiet while closely examining his surroundings.

"D-Structs…" Ty's voice echoed mockingly, but neither he nor Skrap-It could pinpoint his location. Ty continued to whisper D-Structs' name, throwing them off even more. D-Structs roared in aggravation, and Skrap-It quickly became paranoid.

"I-I think it came from over there," Skrap-It stated while pointing.

"Or did it come from over _here_?" Ty questioned, his voice coming from a completely different direction.

"Or over _here_?"

"How does it feel to be alone and helpless, D-Structs?"

"Do you have any idea what happened to me after you pushed me off the bridge?"

"What's he talking about? What's going on?" Skrap-It quivered.

"Enough! Show yourself so that I can end your pathetic existence!" D-Structs snapped.

"Why would I do that? This is all your fault, D-Structs—_you_ turned me into this monster."

"M-Monster?! Where?!" Skrap-It yelped before darting out of the forest. D-Structs was getting just as confused and scared, so he followed the Scraptool out of the forest to regain his bearings.

"_I'm_ not the one at fault when _you_ can't control your own urges!" D-Structs called out.

"You're right—so why don't I satisfy them right now?"

In the blink of an eye, Ty darted out from hiding and rammed into D-Structs with his jaw open and ready to bite. D-Structs was expecting this, though, and he quickly knocked Ty's head away with his tail.

This dazed Ty long enough for D-Structs to run out to the bridge at the edge of the crater. It wasn't long after that that Blayde came speeding up while chasing the Scaretrux, which was painted red to look like Ty. Pounder then joined them while chasing Dozer, who was wearing a Ty model made out of scrap on his head. And lastly, Splitter arrived after chasing a shadow that looked like that that was cast by Ace and Click-Clack.

Neither one of the evil Trux were happy that they were fooled, and they were soon cornered against the end of the bridge.

"Cheap tricks and stunts! For what?!" D-Structs hissed.

"For them," Ty replied while referring to the rest of the Trux in the crater, and they were all ready for battle.

D-Structs told the Slamtools to tie them down, but Waldo returned with all of the Reptools from the ravine to stop them. D-Structs wasn't willing to give up so easily, but the others easily realized that they were greatly outnumbered.

"I'm sick of this crater!" Splitter huffed before crossing the bridge.

"Wish I could say it was fun," Blayde scoffed in disgust, and Pounder growled before reluctantly following them across the bridge.

"This isn't over," D-Structs growled deeply.

"Yes, it is," Ty argued sternly, letting out a deeper and even more animalistic growl of his own. D-Structs shook his head in dismay, and begrudgingly crossed the bridge.

The Trux then started to raise the bridge, as a way of keeping D-Structs and the others out for good.

"Don't bother coming back!" Ty hissed threateningly.

"Fine! Go ahead and poison the crater, but don't say I didn't warn you!" D-Structs shouted back, as he and the others disappeared over the horizon.

Ty then turned towards the other Trux and smiled, "Ore's on us!"

Everyone cheered at their victory, knowing that their home was safe once more. And they had Ty and his friends to thank for that. But Ty's friends were more worried than excited; especially after everything Ty went through—and with what D-Structs said. They never wanted to believe anything that D-Structs said, but what did he mean by "poisoning the crater?" And what would he say something like that after being defeated in such a demeaning way?

* * *

That night, a trio of two Dozeratops and an Ankylodump were happily camping out while eating some delicious ore. They hadn't been able to just go out and kick back during D-Structs' short-lived reign, so they were going to live their freedom to the fullest.

"Anyone got any scary stories?" a Dozeratops piped up.

"Nope," the other Dozeratops replied while shaking her head.

"Ooh, I've got one!" the Ankylodump exclaimed with excitement, "Get ready 'cause I'm gonna tell you the story of—the zombie Trux."

The two Dozeratops' eyes widened as they averted all of their attention to the Ankylodump, and even crept closer to listen better.

"There was once a Trux who was in a terrible accident, and everyone thought he was a goner. But instead, he rose from the dead and started devouring his own family. It's said that one of his sons got away, though, and he's been roaming the Earth in search of his spawn to finish what he started ever since. But be careful—he'll eat anyone he comes across. And if he bites you and you live, you'll turn into a zombie, too."

The Dozeratops quivered in their chassis, as they huddled together in fear of getting eaten by the zombie Trux. But as they squeaked in fear, the Ankylodump suddenly burst out laughing.

"Ha-ha! You guys should see the looks on your faces!" the Ankylodump laughed uncontrollably, "You're so gullible. There's no such thing as a zombie Trux."

"U-Uh…yeah, you're right. I mean, it's impossible for someone ta die and come back to life…right?" the male Dozeratops quivered.

"Totally," the female Dozeratops added in agreement, but her tone was still equally terrified.

And as if they jinxed it, a low growl could be heard nearby. All three of them froze, and they glanced around nervously.

"Please, tell me that was your stomach," the female Dozeratops begged the Ankylodump, but he slowly shook his head.

"W-What if it was the stomach…of the z-zombie Trux? What if he's come ta eat us?" the male Dozeratops questioned in terror.

"Calm down! We've already established that there's no such thing as-."

The female Dozeratops tried to protest, but she interrupted mid-sentence when a huge pair of red jaws lunged out of the darkness behind her. She screamed when the jaws latched onto her frill and yanked until her neck snapped with a disgusting crunch.

The monster tossed her head into the air before playfully catching it in his mouth, and effortlessly swallowed it hole with a satisfied growl. The other Dozeratops and Ankylodump cried out in utter terror, and the Dozeratops was the next unlucky victim when the red monster grabbed his tail and slammed his against a rock, breaking his back.

The Ankylodump kept driving and didn't bother to look back, as he raced to hide in a cave. Once he was inside, he stopped and breathed heavily and rapidly.

"There's no such thing as zombie Trux…there's no such thing as zombie Trux…there's no such thing as zombie Trux…" the Ankylodump quietly chanted to himself.

He soon heard the monster's engine coming closer, and he backed deeper into the darkness when he saw it. The bright and full moon wasn't enough to illuminate the monster's features to tell who it was, but he could tell that it was a T-Trux. He thought he recognized the shape of the T-Trux, though, and he started to believe that it was none other than Ty.

The Ankylodump's jaw dropped and his eyes popped wide, and Ty slowly turned his head towards the cave. The Ankylodump hoped that if he stayed perfectly still and quiet, he wouldn't be found. But his theory was thrown out the window when Ty growled, and sprinted into the cave.

The cave walls echoed with the cries of agony from the Ankylodump, as the sound of metal being torn apart reverberated around, too. But Ty couldn't stop himself. The last time he had eaten a descent meal was when he ate that Scraptor on the island, and he had been holding himself back since then. He knew this was all so very wrong, but he couldn't fight his monstrous instincts or appetite.

* * *

**Well, that's not a good sign. And how far will D-Structs go to stop Ty before it's too late?**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Fantasy or Reality?

Chapter 4 - Fantasy or Reality?

After finally settling back into their home, Ty and the other Trux were overjoyed to have their builds back. But they realized that D-Structs and his crew did an awful lot of damage, and they also scattered their necessary parts and scrap to fix anything.

They wanted to head out on a supply run, but with Ty still ailing, Revvit demanded that everyone stayed put until further notice. Ty himself was quite out of it after returning home, for he would stay in his repair bay in the garage for hours on end; he would stay hunched over, his breath would be slow and heaving, his eyes would stay closed, and he would mutter deliriously like he had on the raft.

Skya volunteered to go with Revvit to visit Ty early one morning, for the two were the most concerned for his health than anyone. And just like he had been over the last few days, Ty was still slumbering in his bay with a painful expression on his face.

The Reptools cleaned and patched up all of his wounds, and the gash in his head was starting to heal and even covered with a small piece of metal to keep anymore bacteria from entering it. But it seemed that no matter what they tried, Ty was still in great agony.

When Skya and Revvit got too close, Ty subconsciously responded with a warning growl, but still didn't wake up.

"Revvit?" Skya whispered after backing away.

"Yes, Skya?" Revvit whispered back, making sure to keep a close eye on Ty.

"Remember when you said you thought something was wrong with Ty?"

"Yes."

"Well—I'm starting to believe you. You're right, something's really off about him."

"I am glad you agree. I will need some help with keeping a close watch on Ty in case he has another 'outburst'."

"Yeah, those seem to get more intense every time, but I think he's trying to hide it. What I wanna know is, why would he try to hide his problems?"

"I wish I knew, Skya. He must think it is very bad to keep it from us. I'm sure he will tell us when he is ready, so we must be patient."

At the moment, Ty finally began to stir with a long groan, as he lifted his head to yawn while stretching his other limbs. When he looked back down, he finally noticed Skya and Revvit.

"Mornin', guys," Ty greeted groggily, but then started to look around nervously, "You guys didn't have any—weird dreams last night, did you?"

Revvit and Skya exchanged confused glances and blinked, and then turned back to Ty while shaking their heads no.

"The only weird dreams I have are ones when Dozer's a nice guy," Skya informed jokingly.

"And I do not remember my dreams. But why do you ask, Ty?" Revvit questioned.

"U-Uh…just had a bit of a nightmare last night, is all. I can't remember much, and I don't wanna freak you out with the stuff I do remember."

Revvit hummed and squinted his eyes in suspicion, "Indeed—perhaps you should go out and get some fresh air, Ty."

"Sounds good ta me. My treads have been crampin' up real bad," Ty chuckled while shaking his treads, and didn't hesitate to drive out of the garage and take in a breath of the outside air.

"Want me ta get you some ore?" Skya offered after exiting the garage herself.

"Oh, no. I couldn't possibly eat."

"But, Ty, you have been eating nothing but scraps for days. You need a _real_ meal," Revvit firmly instructed.

Ty simply shrugged, "Sorry, Rev. I'm just not hungry."

"How can you not be hungry?" Skya asked in disbelief.

"Dunno. I just feel—full, I guess."

Just as he said this, Skya lowered her head and suddenly noticed the dried and faint oil stains that coated Ty's jaws. A shiver ran down Skya's spine, for she knew that oil belonged in one place: Inside a of Dinotrux. The Craneosaur started putting two and two together, but found it hard, nay impossible, to think that Ty had recently eaten…other Trux.

Skya was having trouble finding the difference between fantasy and reality at the moment, so she left Ty and Revvit to think about it all over breakfast.

"With nourishment aside, we will still have to venture out to gather supplies, so that we can fix our builds and continue to take care of you properly," Revvit explained to Ty.

"Well then, what're we waiting for? You said a little exercise would be good for me anyway, and I'd rather get everything fixed sooner than later," Ty stated in agreement.

"As would I, but I would also like to make sure that you do not hurt yourself again, Ty. I am not sure if you can take anymore hits."

"I appreciate the concern, Rev, but I gotta get back out there eventually. You know I can't and won't stay cooped up in the garage for long."

Revvit sighed in defeat, "Yes, I am acutely aware of that. Very well. You win."

* * *

Being banished to the Outlands was more than humiliating for D-Structs and the others, and they could think of nothing to do at first but blame and fight each other for failing.

D-Structs knew that this was nothing but a waste of time, and he needed to figure out a way back into the crater to get rid of Ty. But just when he was about to enter the fight, he noticed how Blayde and Pounder showed similar signs of the illness that Ty had; their pupils had grown, they growled and roared like a mindless savages, and they were suddenly much more relentless than before.

The ebony D-Structs couldn't figure out how this happened, but he was certain that they were infected, too. D-Structs was also certain that he had to put a stop to this, so he went after Blayde first. The said female Dozeratops was caught completely off guard when D-Structs suddenly knocked her onto her side while grabbing her frill with his jaws. Metal creaked and she screamed in agony as D-Structs put a tread on her side to hold her down, as he pulled until her head was eventually disconnected from her body.

Both Splitter and Pounder watched in horror, as D-Structs huffed and dropped Blayde's disembodied head and crushed it beneath his other tread. The while ordeal was enough to make Pounder snap out of it, and he knew he didn't want to share the same fate as Blayde.

He and Splitter wasted no time in fleeing before D-Structs could catch them, and the latter reluctantly let them get away, knowing that there weren't many creatures to harm out in this wasteland.

"W-What…did you…do?" Skrap-It whimpered, as he was unable to take his eyes off of Blayde's lifeless body while her own blood and oil pooled around her.

"She was sick. I had to end her life before it got worse," D-Structs simply replied before driving off, and Skrap-It scurried over the trail of dark fluids that he left behind.

"B-Before _what_ g-got worse?"

"A virus. It makes its home in any living creature it comes in contact with, and turns them into a mindless killing machine—Blayde was infected with it, and so is Ty."

Skrap-It gasped in horror, "That's why you wanted ta be careful with catchin' him! He's an even bigger threat than you could ever be!"

D-Structs whipped around, and glared daggers at the Scraptool, "You think I don't know that? If Ty isn't stopped soon, he could wipe out the entire crater."

"B-But how're we gonna stop him if we can't even get back inta the crater?"

D-Structs was quiet for a moment, "I'll think of something."

"But you saw what he did to the others! If they couldn't take him down together, how can you possibly do it on your own?!"

"It'll take a lot of patience and a flawless plan, but I _will_ find a way to kill him."

* * *

After their odd run-in with the Junktools, Revvit was surprised when Ty didn't have a single burst of anger throughout the whole adventure. The sun was starting to set by the time they got their parts back and started to return to the Flatirons, but they stopped when they past through a forest and heard a strange noise.

"Anyone else hear that?" Ty was the first to ask.

"Yeah, it sounds like…crying?" Dozer guessed.

Skya raised her head to get a good look around the area, and she froze when she found the source of the crying.

"Oh, no…" was all the Craneosaur said before racing off, and the others quickly followed her. They stopped at the top of a steep hill, and they were horrified by what they saw down in the ditch.

The crying was coming from a baby Craneosaur, as he hunched over the lifeless corpse of his mother. The cause of her death was obvious when they saw the unnatural bend in her neck, as well as a huge chunk taken out of the base of her neck, where large amounts of blood and oil seeped out.

"Hello, there," Revvit greeted softly, as everyone slowly crept down the hill. The young Craneosaur gasped at the sight of the large Trux, and darted behind his mother to hide.

"Hey, it's ok, little guy. We're not gonna hurt you," Skya spoke softly, to which the baby Craneosaur poked his head out, "Can you tell us what happened?"

"I-I…went out to play…e-even though my mommy told me not to…and when I came back…she was like this…and she won't get up…" the young Craneosaur meekly explained between sniffles, and he broke out into another intense sob.

"What did this to your mom?" Ty gently questioned.

"I-I…I don't know…I d-didn't see w-what it was…"

"Whatever it was is something big and powerful, judging by the size of the tracks surrounding the area," Revvit pointed out while jumping off of Ty, and walked over the large set of tracks the mixed with the dead Craneosaur's.

But upon closer inspection, Revvit realized something, "Wait a minute—these are T-Trux tracks."

"That's impossible, dude! D-Structs can't get back inta the crater, and Ty would never do such a thing. And they're the only T-Trux we know," Ton-Ton quickly stated.

"Maybe a new T-Trux has entered the crater?" Revvit pondered aloud.

"Maybe, but T-Trux aren't exactly the stealthiest creatures—no offense, Ty—we'd know if there was another one in the crater," Dozer argued.

"Dozer's right. We'll have to keep an eye out for this new T-Trux, or whatever monster that did this," Ty instructed firmly.

"Are you going to…leave me all alone now?" the young Craneosaur piped up.

"Of course not, little guy. You can stay with us until we find you a now mom. Ok?" Skya reassured him with a gentle smile, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"SO, what's your name, little dude?" Ton-Ton asked as they continued on their way back to the Flatirons with their new guest.

"Loftin," the young Craneosaur replied.

"Well, Loftin, ya got nothin' ta worry about now. We'll take good care of ya, Kid," Dozer added gently.

"Thank you all…so much," Loftin sniffled as more tears fell, but they were more from joy than sorrow now.

But as everyone drove home, they failed to notice that Ty was dragging behind them quite a bit. His eyes stayed wide as his jaw remained dropped, as he failed to comprehend the horror of the situation; he was just barely able to keep up the charade when they met Loftin, and it took every bit of his will not to burst into tears when they noticed the T-Trux tracks surrounding the dead mother.

Ty knew he could barely remember his dreams over the last few days, but one of them involved a horrible encounter with a Craneosaur—only, he was the real monster. Was it all just a nightmare, or was it completely real?

* * *

**How much longer until Ty's friends discover the truth? And how will they react when they do?**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Dread: Part 1

Chapter 5 - Dread: Part 1

Ty was hungry again. Ever since his unique new cravings, he hadn't been that interested in ore; it just didn't satisfy anymore. And even though Ty's hunger wasn't as intense as it has been before, he didn't want to risk another outburst should he go too long without food.

So, in the dead of night, the red T-Trux snuck out of his cave, and his pupil slowly grew when he pondered about where to find his next meal. It wasn't until he past by the small patch of forest that Skya slept in that he was reminded of the deceased mother of poor, orphaned Loftin.

Speaking of the young Craneosaur, Ty's engine ached at the sight of Loftin sleeping not too far away from Skya. But Loftin didn't seem to be sleeping too peacefully, judging by the way he muttered sobs and fidgeted in his sleep. Ty figured he must be having a nightmare about the loss of his mother, but he couldn't do anything about it now. Even if he wanted to help, two important factors were holding him back. One: He was very likely the cause of his mother's death. And two: His instincts and hunger proved to be stronger than his guilty conscious.

With that in mind, Ty continued across the crater to find the forest where they found Loftin and his mother. His stomach growled when he caught the familiar scent of death and decay, a scent he had grown addicted to. But when Ty reached the ditch, the Craneosaur corpse once laid in it was now gone.

Ty's monstrous instincts quickly dissipated, as his right mind returned to allow him to panic. How was this possible? Why was she gone? Was she taken? …Or was she still alive?

If the latter were true, then she could tell everyone who killed her—or who tried to, anyway. And If Ty really was responsible, then his secret would be out. His friends, everyone in the crater would know what he really is: A monster.

Ty sniffed the air again to see if he could pick up her scent, but it was too faint to find a trail. All he smelled now was mud. Of course, how could he forget? It rained recently, so it must've washed away the smell, as well as the tracks. That was a bit of relief since no one would see the obvious T-Trux tracks anymore.

But that was the least of Ty's worries. He had to find out what happened to the Craneosaur, or else he could lose everything he cared for. And if he were to prevent that from happening, he would have to make sure his friends wouldn't find her.

* * *

Ty returned to the Flatirons to ensure that everything was still safe and in its place, and he was relieved to find that nothing had changed. And there was certainly no half-dead, or perhaps undead, Craneosaur roaming around. But before Ty retreated to his cave, he stopped and looked over at Skya.

She was still slumbering peacefully, but he feared she would have to wake up to some devastating news. Ty quietly crept over to Skya, and whispered her name while nudging her. She soon woke with a snort, and pulled her dangling tongue back into her mouth since it normally hung out in her sleep.

"Ty? …What time is it?" Skya yawned.

"That doesn't matter. There's something you should know—it's about Loftin, mom," Ty informed quietly, and that easily perked Skya up.

"What's wrong?"

"I went out to bury her body, so that Scraptors or Scrapadactyls couldn't get to her—but when I got there, she was gone."

Skya's eyes widened, "Gone? What do ya mean, gone?"

"Just that. I don't know how, but she's disappeared without a trace."

"Do you think the murderer could've moved her?"

"I don't know. The rain washed away the tracks, but I think we should keep our eyes peeled. If the murderer's still out there, then we gotta take 'em out before they kill anymore innocent Trux."

Skya and Ty glanced over at Loftin, and they both couldn't help but feel guilty as he continued to stir restlessly in his sleep.

"Poor little guy. I can't stand seeing him like that," Skya sighed sorrowfully.

"Don't worry, he'll have someone to take care of him again soon," Ty gently reassured.

Skya nodded in agreement, knowing that if Loftin's missing mother is still dead, their only other option would be to find a heard with a female Craneosaur that is willing to adopt. But if Skya was honest, she didn't want to let Loftin go so soon; she'd grown attached to him, and it didn't help that she seemed to be developing her down motherly instincts. Given their tendency to stay in herds, Craneosaurs were typically known to take in abandoned hatchlings.

Just as Ty bid Skya a good night and started to leave, the latter slowly approached Loftin after having seen enough of his discomfort. She lowered her head to reach Loftin, and carefully pulled him against her chest. Loftin still didn't wake up, but he seemed to subconsciously calm down when he felt Skya's body heat. His fidgeting stopped and he sighed, as he curled deeper into her chest for comfort.

The whole scene was heartbreaking for Ty. He could deny it no longer; he wasn't just a cannibal, but he also tore families—literally and figuratively. How could he let this happen? Why couldn't he control himself?

Was D-Structs right? Was he poisoning the crater?

* * *

The next morning, the Trux woke up with a new goal, and that was to rid the Flatirons of D-Structs' wall. They even let Loftin help with some of the more lightweight lifting, and Skya made sure how to teach him how to use his winch properly.

"Um…Miss Skya?" Loftin eventually piped up.

"No need for that 'miss' stuff, Loftin. Just call me 'Skya', ok?" Skya calmly pointed out.

"O-Oh, ok. I was wondering if you could…maybe show me how to…catch things in mid-air with my hook?"

Skya looked down at Loftin, feeling sorry for him when she heard the fear and reluctance in his voice to ask such a favor.

"Are you kidding? I'll show you how ta be the best Craneosaur ever at catchin' stuff! Just you wait!"

Loftin smiled brightly at that, "You mean it?"

"Cross my engine, Loftin."

But just as Skya finished her sentence, a swarm of dragonflopers flew by in a hurry. The Trux hadn't seen so many fly in off at once, especially when even more dragonflopters flew by. Matters became even more confusing when hoards of Towaconstrictors, Scraptors and Scrapadactyls were fleeing in the same direction. Every single creature seemed restless and terrified, and they didn't bother to look back or even attack the Trux.

The Trux knew that whatever was scaring the fleeing creatures must be very bad, though, so they went against the flow to find out what it was and see if they could stop it.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time D-Structs and Skrap-It made it to the bridge, and they were obviously still met with the problem of actually getting back into the crater since the bridge was still raised.

"What if you fling me over the chasm, I raid the garage for parts, and then build you giant wings, so you can fly over and-," Skrap-It rambled on, only to stop when D-Structs growled and gave him a deadpanned look, "G-Giant propellers?"

D-Structs was about to start skimming all around the chasm to see if he could find another way across, but a loud and slow groan of metal stopped him in his tracks. He and Skrap-It looked over in surprise to find that the bridge was being lowered, and a massive collection of rocks was slowly moving across it.

"A mountain is rolling over it?" Skrap-It asked in great shock, "Now, that's not somethin' ya see everyday, huh?"

Soon after the mountain finished crossing the bridge, it was raised back up again.

"So, propeller or wings?" Skrap-It urged, only for D-Structs to respond by knocking him away with his tail before following the moving mountain.

Meanwhile, Ty and the others grunted while continuing to pull the hibernating Dreadtrux farther away from the crater.

"You stay close to Garby and George, Loftin! And do what they say!" Skya shouted demandingly.

"Yes, Skya!" Loftin shouted back.

"Garby's gang will protect the crater while you're gone!" Garby called reassuringly.

"In a peaceful and nonviolent way!" George quickly added.

* * *

D-Structs and Skrap-It followed Ty and the others from a safe distance, and pondered as to why they were trying to move a small mountain. It bothered D-Structs even more because Ty's friends still couldn't seem to comprehend the danger they were in.

But when they got close enough to get within earshot, they heard Revvit say something about a "Dreadtrux" and leaving it at the base of a steep hill. But Ty remained persistent, and said that it was still too close to the crater. He somehow managed to convince the others to keep pulling, and D-Structs and Skrap-It were suddenly far more intrigued.

"Did he say a 'Dreadtrux'? I thought those things were just made-up stories—like dragonflopters that can swim, or T-Trux that like ta sing," Skrap-It breathed in awe.

"When that Dreadtrux wakes up, all hell is going to break loose—and that just might be enough to get rid of Ty," D-Structs growled with realization.

* * *

After miraculously getting the Dreadtrux up the hill, everyone couldn't help but congratulate Ty for his strength and determination.

"I am quite surprised and relieved to be saying this, but I was wrong and you were right, Ty," Revvit admitted, "We were able to make it out of the crater…"

"Up a hill…" Dozer added.

"Past a pack of Slam-dudes…" Ton-Ton stated.

"And _still_ didn't wake up the sleeping Dreadtrux," Skya pointed out.

"Told ya we could do it," Ty chuckled boastfully, "Now, c'mon. All we gotta do is lower this thing down the other side, and the crater is saved."

"Shame I can't say the same for all of you!" a familiar voice called mockingly, as the Trux gasped to find D-Structs standing on the other side of the Dreadtrux.

And without warning, D-Structs rammed into the platform and pushed it down the slope. The others managed to escape since their tow cable were already disconnected, but Ty's hadn't been broken yet he and was forced to race downhill with the Dreadtrux.

"Ty, get out of there!" Revvit called.

"Easier said than done, Rev!" Ty shouted back.

"I got him!" Skya exclaimed before racing after Ty.

But Revvit quickly hitched a ride on the Craneosaur, "No, _we_ got him!"

"Do you have _any_ idea what you just did?!" Dozer boomed at D-Structs, as he and Ton-Ton stayed behind to fight him.

"Bad move, Dude!" Ton-Ton shouted before ramming into D-Structs, and Dozer followed him by ramming him with his blade.

"The only bad moves here are the ones _you've_ made! You don't know it, but you've been harboring a dangerous monster!" D-Structs growled.

"And that would've been taken care of properly if you hadn't pushed it over the hill," Dozer huffed.

"I'm not talking about the Dreadtrux."

Before Dover or Ton-Ton could ask D-Structs what he meant by that, the ebony T-Trux roared before retreating.

Meanwhile, Ty was struggling to stay ahead of the Dreadtrux, as to not get run over. Skya and Revvit soon came to the rescue, and Revvit was flung by Skya so that he could land on Ty's tail and disconnect his tow cable.

But even after he was freed, Ty refused to get out of the Dreadtrux's way. Revvit was entirely in disagreement with Ty, but the latter said that he had to try and slow the Dreadtrux down to prevent it from waking up on the hill.

The others quickly rushed down the hill to help Ty by clearing the way, and he rammed his back up against the Dreadtrux while putting on his breaks. Dust and debris flew from beneath Ty's treads, as he grunted while trying to act as a wedge in front of the Dreadtrux.

"Ty, this is too dangerous! Do you understand?! You are _not_ enough to stop it!" Revvit screamed.

"I gotta be! There's no other way!" Ty shouted in protest.

The others continued to clear trees and rocks, but the Dreadtrux only gained more speed and sped right past them.

"Ty, get outta there! He's moving too fast ta stop!" Skya demanded.

"No…I can do this…I have to!" Ty roared with rage, and a deep growl emitted from his chest when his anger boiled over.

But before he lost himself, Ty called Skya's name and gave her a heads-up before tossing Revvit off of his head. Skya hooked Revvit just in time, and she and the others watched in apprehension as Ty kept trying to stop the Dreadtrux.

Ty felt his blood boil, his vision became red and blurry, and his pupil once again dilated with another monstrous outburst. But it wasn't born from hunger this time; this was caused by all of the pent up rage and guilt that Ty was bottling up. He knew he was a monster, and he knew he was destroying lives. He had to do everything within his power to try and make up for it, and that meant saving the crater from the Dreadtrux.

Ty let out one last roar that would shake mountains, before finally finding enough strength to bring the Dreadtrux to the bottom of the hill and bring it to a complete stop.

As Ty panted and ignored the agonizing pain in his back and treads, the others glanced down at him in utter bewilderment from atop a ridge. They had never seen anything like that be accomplished by a single Trux, let alone by their friend. Dozer and Ton-Ton thought back to what D-Structs said, and wondered if he was talking about Ty.

But they decided not to dwell on theorizing as to how Ty stopped the Dreadtrux, and instead agreed on getting away from the Dreadtrux and back home as quickly as possible.

But after they left, they failed to notice a certain rival Poundersaurolophus approaching the Dreadtrux. After he fled from D-Structs, Pounder had lost his mind; the wound on the back of his neck had festered and putrefied, and his vision had become much worse when both of his pupils took up all of the whiteness in his eyes.

He had wandered aimlessly for days in search of food, and he was overjoyed when he smelled the Dreadtrux. But all Pounder found was a small mountain, so he started hitting the ground with his snout in aggravation. Little did he know that the pounding was disturbing the living mass inside of the small mountain.

* * *

**Uh-oh. Ty's secret could be closer to getting exposed than we thought.**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Dread: Part 2

Chapter 6 - Dread: Part 2

When Ty and the others heard the pounding, they stopped in their tracks and gasped as Pounder continued to shake the ground with his hammering. They shouted at the top of their lungs to warn him, and he quickly stopped, but only to find the new source of food on top of the ridge.

Pounder clicked and hissed while his pupils grew even larger, and his mouth watered as he imagined all of the different flavors. But he couldn't figure out a way up, so he started pounding the wall of the cliff in annoyance. And as he bent his head down to start hammering, Revvit couldn't help but notice the wound on his neck—and how similar it looked to Ty's wound after they were marooned.

"Ty, look at his neck," Revvit whimpered, and the said T-Trux squinted to get a better look, only for his eyes to pop wide when he saw the rotting wound that ate away at Pounder's chassis.

"It looks just like the crack in my skull when it was still pretty bad," Ty stated in realization.

"Exactly. I fear that when you bit down on his neck by D-Structs' wall, you may have given him the same infection that inhabited your injury."

"Which means he could just as easily lose his mind…"

"And wake the Dreadtrux."

At that very moment, the mountain that housed the Dreadtrux was suddenly shattered, and the once fabled creature that was meant to give young Trux nightmares was now revealed; it stood at a size that was at least four times bigger than the largest T-Trux, exterior metal the color of charcoal, a tail that was weaponized with a giant spinning saw, a similar blade within its bottom jaw, and an elongated neck that stretched out farther than a Craneosaur's.

The Trux realized it was too late and instantly fled, but Pounder stopped hammering and slowly turned towards the legendary behemoth. His terror snapped him back to reality, and he didn't hesitate to sprint out of the Dreadtrux's way.

* * *

D-Structs was hoping with all of his might that the Dreadtrux had taken care of Ty, but recalling his past experiences with the virus made him doubtful. He knew exactly what kind of power and destruction a Trux with that kind of virus was capable of, and a T-Trux was one of, if not the most, dangerous kind of Trux to posses it.

But if D-Structs was going to ensure that his crater stayed safe, he still needed to figure out a way to get back in. Skrap-It's annoying jibber-jabber didn't help his thinking, as he kept trying to cheer him up with knock-knock jokes.

And just when D-Structs had had enough and knocked Skrap-It away, he turned to find Ty and the others rapidly approaching in the distance. And he was horrified to see that Ty was still in one peace.

"Damn it…I know it wouldn't be enough," D-Structs huffed angrily, and raised his voice once they got closer, "It's time I finish you off for good!"

"D-Structs, look out!" Ty shouted at the top of his lungs, as everyone sped past D-Structs without looking back. The said ebony T-Trux looked back in the direction they were running from, and easily noticed the Dreadtrux quickly gaining on them. He realized that if this giant monster couldn't stop Ty, then he really was the crater's last hope. But he would have to survive first, so he ran for his life as well.

It wasn't long before they all came up to the bridge back into the crater, and they desperately shouted for Garby to lower it. He was skeptical at first when he saw D-Structs, but he instantly flipped the quick-release when the Dreadtrux came into view.

They raced across the bridge and grabbed a cable, attempting to pull and raise it as fast as they could before the Dreadtrux could reach it. Even D-Structs helped by pulling on a cable, and he gave it his all to ensure that another monster wouldn't get to his crater. And D-Structs' help paid off when they raised the bridge in the nick of time, and they cheered over their victory while the Dreadtrux roared from the other side.

But after the cheering stopped, they all turned to D-Structs with surprised expressions.

"Can't believe ya came through like that, D-Structs," Ty admitted.

"Yeah, you were a regular dude-structs," Ton-Ton chuckled happily.

"This doesn't make us friends. I only helped to prevent _another_ monster from entering the crater," D-Structs growled in protest.

"The only other monster I see here is _you_," Dozer hissed.

D-Structs scoffed and turned to leave, "Just you wait. You'll all get a wake-up call that'll make you wish you were _never_ born."

"I almost thought he'd changed," Ty sighed in defeat.

"Not me. Trux like him never change," Dozer argued with a shake of his head.

"Hate ta admit it, but I think you're right."

"What's wrong with me bein' right?"

"At least we are all safe on this side of the chasm," Revvit cut in.

Ty nodded in agreement, "Good point, Rev."

"Uh, guys? I wouldn't be too sure about that," Skya called after peeking over to the other side of the chasm. Everyone else quickly followed her gaze, and were shocked to find that the Dreadtrux was spitting rocks into the chasm.

"What's he doing?" Ton-Ton questioned.

"Filling it!" Ace replied in fear.

"To make a land bridge," Revvit whimpered.

"And get over here," Ty added.

To prove their point, the Dreadtrux shattered a large boulder into pieces with a wave of its head, and picked up the debris with a special circular conveyer belt in its torso to bring it all to its mouth, and spill more rocks into the chasm.

"What the hell did we do ta that guy?!" Dozer shouted in annoyance.

"I don't know, but we gotta stop him!" Ty demanded.

"Perhaps a coordinated defense will make him turn back," Revvit pointed out before etching some design plans onto a rock.

"Good thinking, Rev. If we deploy all along this side of the chasm…" Ty began with realization.

And once again, Revvit finished his sentence for him, "We can hit him from every angle."

"Let's Trux it up!"

Despite Ty's cheery tone and the combined determination to stop the Dreadtrux, there was still one Trux who was frozen in fear as he watched the huge monster slowly make his way to their side.

"Loftin?" Skya gently greeted, as she approached the young Craneosaur, "Don't ya wanna help us? Every hook counts."

"I-I can't, Skya…I'm nothing compared to a Dreadtrux," Loftin meekly protested, still unable to take his eyes off of the Dreadtrux.

"Maybe on your own, you are, but that's why we gotta work together. We can do anything with enough teamwork, and that includes stopping the legendary Dreadtrux."

Loftin finally pulled his gaze from the said huge Trux, and looked up at Skya in amazement, "You really think so?"

"I know so."

"W-Well, then—let's Trux i-it up!"

* * *

D-Structs groaned in agony, as he blinked his eyes open while trying to recall any recent events. All he could remember was leaving the bridge after seemingly stopping the Dreadtrux, but nothing else came to him after that. His vision and hearing were still a little fuzzy, but he could feel something pitter-pattering on top of his head.

"Skrak-It! What're you doing?!" D-Structs scolded while attempting to move, but he found himself completely immobile, "What's happening?!"

"The Dreadtrux slammed you into a rock wall, and started an avalanche, and*twitch*…ya got knocked out," Skrap-It explained before getting a brilliant idea, "And I…I-I fought him off and saved you!"

D-Structs only glared at him, "If you're going to lie, can't you at least do it right?"

"Is that a trick question?" Skrap-It muttered under his breath.

"My hydraulics are stuck. I can't…move," D-Structs added between grunts.

But just when Skrap-It tried to help move some rocks out of the way, he yelped when he heard a loud noise approaching and thought it was the Dreadtrux. It turns out, though, that the noise was coming from Ty, as he and Revvit were searching for something in the woods.

"D-Structs! What happened?" Ty asked when worry when he spotted the helpless ebony T-Trux.

"He's taking a nap under a rock blanket, *twitch*like an Ankylodump. He's not stuck and vulnerable to attack*twitch*! That's for sure! In fact, I'd run if I *twitch*were you!" Skrap-It quickly lied.

"Skrap-It, you are twitching double-time," Revvit stated flatly, remembering the fact that Skrap-It's twitching always became more intense whenever he lied.

"I*twitch* am*twitch* not*twitch*!"

"Let us help you," Ty finally offered.

"Leave me alone. I don't need your help," D-Structs growled.

Ty took a moment to breathe in, and think about his next argument, "But I need yours."

"What?!" was all Skrap-It could say.

"The Dreadtrux is searching for its ore. We need to keep him from destroying everything in the meantime."

"Wait, wait. Wait, wait, wait! You want _D-Structs_ ta fight the Dreadtrux with _you_?" Skrap-It slowly asked.

"We need to keep him at bay until we've got his ore," Ty explained.

Skrap-It suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, "That's crazy!"

"Why should _I_ care?" D-Structs urged.

"Because once he levels our home, he'll go after yours. And I'm guessing you may not wanna take him on alone," Ty firmly pointed out.

D-Structs knew he was right, and he would rather die than admit that, especially in front of Ty. But then he remembered that the Dreadtrux obviously couldn't take out Ty on his own—so maybe, he needed some help.

"Fine. Get me out of here," D-Structs huffed, and Ty quickly started removing the rocks.

* * *

Once D-Structs was free, he and Ty raced towards the Flatirons to stop the Dreadtrux. But while Ty was truly trying to stop the Dreadtrux, D-Structs was merely tagging along to ensure that it would actually eliminate Ty. Of course, he had to make it look like he was fighting the Dreadtrux as well, or else he would have all of Ty's friends blaming him for his demise. D-Structs had to make it look like a complete accident, one that was caused by the Dreadtrux alone.

So, he fought alongside Ty to slow the Dreadtrux down as much as they could, and they avoided a few of his attacks with the help of Revvit and Skrap-It. But it wasn't long before they entered the Flatirons, and D-Structs was growing impatient.

"We've slowed him down!" Ty shouted.

"Not enough!" D-Structs roared.

"Ty, he is headed for the ore station!" Revvit quickly called.

"On it!"

With that, Ty raced to jump off of a ramp and land on the Dreadtrux's head, only to bash into his neck and land roughly on the ground. In fact, he landed in the Dreadtrux's path, and he would've been crushed if he hadn't moved out of the way in time.

D-Structs was starting to get even more aggravated at the Dreadtrux, and how it constantly failed to take out Ty. And after the latter moved out of the way, D-Structs figured he would at least try to save the ore station by grabbed the Dreadtrux's head with his claw and steering him away.

Ty helped by bashing his head with his tail in the same direction D-Structs was pulling, but that only turned the Dreadtrux towards the garage. Time was running out.

"Looks like your friends have failed!" D-Structs snapped.

"They'll be here! We just have ta hold out a little longer!" Ty snapped back.

The Dreadtrux then tried to get rid of the two T-Trux by flinging rock debris at them, but Ty was quick to push D-Structs out of the way. He then roared while ramming into the Dreadtrux to stop it, hoping he could find enough strength like he had in the Outlands.

"We need to move!" D-Structs pointed out.

"I'm not leaving without the builds!" Ty argued.

"Stop worrying about your garage, and start worrying about your life!"

With that, D-Structs grabbed a piece of his wall that was knocked down, and threw it into the Dreadtrux's path.

"He may have a point, Ty! We can rebuild the garage, but we cannot rebuild you!" Revvit shouted.

"We could try," Skrap-It chuckled manically, only to earn a deadpanned look from Revvit, "Or we could run. Running is good."

But at that moment, the Dreadtrux ran over the piece of the wall that D-Structs threw, but it got tangled up in his treads and nearly caused him to trip.

"Wait, look underneath! His tread feet! That's his weak spot!" Ty yelled while pointing at the Dreadtrux's treads, "D-Structs, take the right hind treads! I'll get the front left ones!"

D-Structs realized that this may be his last chance for the Dreadtrux to kill Ty. If he could just pull hard enough in the right direction, he might be able to get the Dreadtrux to topple over and land on Ty. So, he and Ty raced to opposite sides of the Dreadtrux, and stretched their tails out in front of its treads. Soon enough, it ran over them and they quickly pulled to get their tails stuck between the treads.

Both Ty and D-Structs roared loudly, as they pulled with all of their might to trip the gigantic beast. Ty was quickly becoming more and more enraged to the point of almost losing his mind again, and planning on devouring the Dreadtrux piece by piece instead.

Unfortunately, D-Structs' plan to get the Dreadtrux to land on Ty failed when the latter pulled hard enough in his direction, and they both pulled their tails out to finally trip the Dreadtrux. And just in time, too, as the huge monster barely nicked the garage with his head when he finally fell onto his side. Ty stared the beast directly in the eye, as he slowly lifted his and roared in anger at the red T-Trux.

"Look out, dread-dude!" Ton-Ton called from the distance, as he came racing towards them with the Dreadtrux's red-colored ore in his bed. He then turned around and flung it over to the Dreadtrux, and it landed right next to its face. But when the Dreadtrux stood up and saw the ore, it merely pushed it away and went after Ty.

"Useless! Your plan failed!" D-Structs exclaimed while knocking the ore against a rock wall with his tail, and stood back to let the Dreadtrux take out Ty once and for all.

But after the ore crashed against the wall, Revvit quickly noticed that a piece of the red rock fell off from the impact.

"Wait!" Revvit shouted while racing towards the ore.

"You wait! I'm leaving!" Skrap-It protested.

"Ty, we were wrong! The Dreadtrux is not looking for ore!"

"What's it looking for, then?!" Ty asked Revvit impatiently, as he was still being backed against a wall by the Dreadtrux.

"Her egg!"

"What egg?!"

Revvit finally got close enough to the oddly-shaped ore, and quickly pointed, "_That_ egg!"

Ty followed Revvit's gaze, and dodged the Dreadtrux's huge jaws when it tried to attack. He sprinted over to the red ore, and bashed his head against it to shatter the rest of the red rock, revealing the large grey shell of an egg inside.

"Dudes, he's a _her_," Ton-Ton chuckled giddily.

Once the Dreadtrux saw the egg, she immediately calmed down and gently picked it up with her mouth. Once she had her baby again, she left the Trux alone and disappeared over the horizon, leaving the others to cheer for their victory.

"We made a pretty good team. Maybe I was wrong about you," Ty told D-Structs with utmost sincerity, but the latter only returned the compliment with a fierce roar and a hit from his tail.

"You got lucky this time, Ty. What will you do when your friends find out that you've been eating those poor, innocent Trux?" D-Structs growled threateningly.

Ty gasped, and he lowered his voice so that Revvit wouldn't hear, "How did you-?"

"How I know doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is you leaving this crater before you can infect it any further. Either leave this place on your own—or I'll take matters into my own claws."

With that, D-Structs left with Skrap-It in tow, and Ty could only watch him leave in horror. If D-Structs really was aware of the horrible deeds he has committed, he could tell his friends and they would never forgive him. Ty wasn't going to just give up on his friends and leave the crater, but he knew he had to cover his tracks better.

* * *

**Time is running out for Ty.**

**(Also, I'm sorry that my notes at the end of the chapters are so short. I just can't think of a lot to sayXD)**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Clover

Chapter 7 - Clover

After the whole Dreadtrux incident, Ty and the others went to work on fixing their builds, but Ty also told the other Trux about Loftin's mother mysteriously disappearing. They didn't want to break the news to Loftin just yet, so they told him to wait back at the garage with the Reptools while they ventured to see if they could find any clues.

They left early that morning, and kept searching late into the afternoon. All they found along the way were the occasional disembodied parts like horns and tails, and just like the Craneosaur, there were T-Trux tracks within the area. But Ty was quick to notice a different set of tracks, one he had never seen before. He insisted that they follow them instead, and the tracks took them into a lush forest.

"I didn't think a ruthless killer would be interested in this kind of real estate," Skya admitted while taking in the beautiful surroundings.

"Maybe it's a trick? Ya know, kinda like reverse psychology," Ton-Ton suggested.

"It matters not where the murderer is, but only that we find them before they can hurt anyone else," Revvit added firmly.

"Agreed. When we find 'em, we're gonna make 'em pay," Ty growled.

"I like your attitude," Dozer pointed out with a chuckle.

They continued on through the forest in silence, and kept their eyes open for anyone or anything that could be a suspect.

"Ty, look," Revvit whispered to the said T-Trux, and his gaze followed the Reptool's pointed finger over to a clearing.

Ty hid behind a large tree, and quickly found a light green T-Trux with a wreck ball that was armored with just four large spikes. He would have been caught up by the appearance of this new T-Trux, but his eyes traveled downward when they moved out of the way to reveal Loftin's mother lying motionless in the clearing.

"Hey!" Ty roared while coming out from behind the tree, and the green T-Trux turned and stared at him in surprise. They even opened their mouth to speak, but Ty quickly cut them off by hitting them in the head with his tail.

The others heard Ty's voice and rushed to his aid, and they were just as horrified when they saw the green T-Trux standing over Loftin's mother.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Revvit snapped.

"I don't know…what you're talking about," the green T-Trux grunted from the pain in their jaw, and revealed that they had a feminine and smooth voice.

"Don't play coy. We know you murdered that Craneosaur!" Skya snapped while ganging up on the female T-Trux.

"What?! You're crazy! I didn't murder anyone!" the female T-Trux protested and circled around the Craneosaur, "I _found_ her like this."

"Likely story," Dozer huffed in annoyance.

"I'm telling you the truth. I don't know what did this to her, but it was _not_ me."

"Then why'd ya bring her here, dude?" Ton-Ton questioned in suspicion.

"I was trying to conduct an investigation, but I couldn't do it out in the open with the risk of getting attacked by Scraptors or Scrapadactyls. So, I brought her here to do my research in peace."

"I say we take her in for questioning," Skya told Ty.

"They're right. We can't just let you go, not when you're a possible suspect," Ty snarled at the green T-Trux.

"Fine, but only so that I can prove you all wrong," she growled back before reluctantly following them back to the Flatirons. But after they left, they failed to notice the subtle twitching from Loftin's mother.

* * *

A terrible storm had started on their way back to the Flatirons, and it didn't help that the wind picked up to speeds of a tornado while lighting frequently struck the ground. Luckily, they all made it back to the garage safe and sound, and Loftin and the other Reptools were surprised to see that they returned with a new Trux.

"Loftin, go wait in my bay," Skya firmly instructed the young Craneosaur.

"B-But who's that, Skya? Is she bad?" Loftin whimpered.

"That's what we're about ta find out."

Loftin then went into Skya's bay like she ordered, and she and the others took the new T-Trux to the back of the garage for interrogation. But they made sure to be quiet enough to prevent Loftin from overhearing anything.

"What name do you go by?" Revvit asked first.

"My name's Clover," the female T-Trux simply replied.

"Well, Clover, do you mind explaining what you were doing with that Craneosaur corpse? And could you tell the truth this time?" Ty growled impatiently.

"I did the first time you asked me that. I found her like that, I swear."

"If you didn't kill her, then why did you bother doing 'research' on her?" Skya asked suspiciously.

"That wound on her neck looked familiar. It was just like the one on a Poundersaurolophus that attacked me, and chased me out of my home."

Everyone was taken aback by that, especially Ty and Revvit; they remembered the injury on Pounder's neck when he woke the Dreadtrux, and how the infection caused him to lose his right mind.

"And where was your original home?" Revvit urged.

"I used to live out past the Outlands, but I trekked across the Endless Desert and ended up in this crater. That's when I found the dead Craneosaur."

The others exchanged skeptical glances, and Ty soon crept closer to Clover while Revvit stood on the edge of his nose. Clover leaned back a bit when the two stared intensely for many prolonging seconds.

"Hmm…she does not have any injuries that indicate she was involved in any recent scuffles to take down Trux," Revvit pondered aloud.

"So, you finally believe me?" Clover inquired dryly.

"For the most part, but you're gonna stay here for a little while. Just until we can prove that it really wasn't you," Ty stated demandingly.

Clover scoffed, "Why can't you just trust me?"

"Because we don't know you, and you don't know us."

"Fair point."

"I don't think it's a good idea ta let her stay in here while we're trapped from the storm. What if she tries ta murder us in our sleep?" Dozer slowly asked.

"I told you, I'm not a murderer. And if you Dozeratops would just get your thick heads out of the dirt, you would figure that out for yourself," Clover hissed in protest.

"Watch it, Sister," Skya growled.

"Oh, _I_ should watch it? You're one to talk. You Craneosaurs can see a lot more than most Trux, but you never seem to look before you leap."

"Hey, that's not very nice, Dude!" Ton-Ton exclaimed.

"You know what else isn't very nice? Watching an Ankylodump perform the same useless, tedious and tantalizing stunts before their gut ends up splattered all over the pavement."

"Cool it down before I _make_ you cool it down," Ty warned.

Clover quickly turned and glared at him, "You're no better than the rest of them. Just like any other male T-Trux, so full of himself and acts all high and mighty by making himself the leader."

Ty was surprised by Clover's words, and he found himself backed up against a wall when she drew closer and closer.

"Well, guess what, Mr. Alpha Trux. Your selfishness and insistence on jumping to conclusions is going to get you into a lot of trouble one day. And I'll make sure to be there to say 'I told you so'."

Clover flicked Ty's nose with her claw at that last part, and then turned to get as far away from them as she could on the other side of the garage.

"Well, _someone's_ over dramatic," Skya muttered.

"And a real jerk," Ton-Ton added in annoyance.

"She is right about one thing, though. If there is a chance that Clover is innocent, we cannot rush our own judgment of her," Revvit explained.

"So, let's keep a close eye on her. If anymore Trux disappearances or deaths occur while she's still here, then we'll know it wasn't her and she can leave," Ty pointed out firmly.

"We should take turns watching her, so that she doesn't try to escape," Skya stated.

"Or murder us in our sleep," Dozer urged.

"That's not gonna happen, but it'll still be a good idea to guard Clover. You waana take the first watch since it was your idea, Skya?" Ty offered.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Skya replied with confidence, and subtly made her way to the other end of the garage to keep an eye on Clover, who didn't seem to mind her presence.

Ty knew that whether or not Clover really was at fault, he had to find a way to make it look like someone else was committing those murders. Clover was right, he was very selfish, but it was the only way to ensure that his friends wouldn't find out the truth.

* * *

**I know this chapter is just a tad shorter than the others, but I wanted to post something before I had to go to work. Hope it was good enough.**

**Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


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